Seattle cyclist hit by Metro bus on tough road to recovery

SEATTLE - A Seattle cyclist who survived getting run over by a Metro bus is on a very tough road to recovery.

When you see Daniel Ahrendt in his hospital bed, it's hard to believe what he went through just one month ago. He was cycling to his job as a web developer in Georgetown when somehow he lost control at Rainier Avenue South and South Jackson and wound up under the tires of the bus.

It wasn't until two days later that Daniel can remember being in the hospital. He asked himself, "Am I going to be able to do anything? Is everything over? Do my legs work anymore? Do my arms work anymore?"

Daniel suffered a fractured pelvis, a shattered right leg, an injured hand and a skin injury on his back from the bus' wheel. Despite the seriousness of the injuries, doctors told Daniel it was all recoverable and that with time, he would walk again.

The accident interrupted a life full of plans. Daniel's band had to cancel their first gig. He misses being able to rock climb. But for all the things he can't wait to do again, cycling isn't one of them.

"I would really rather not do things that are risky right now and I really hate that cycling is on that list," Daniel says.

As Daniel continues to heal, there has been a constant comfort at his side. His mother Karrie slept in his hospital room every night.

She first got the call about his accident while on vacation in Hawaii and says when she walked into the hospital room, Daniel was almost unrecognizable. Karrie still tears up when she thinks about it: "He was pretty much swollen and he just didn't look like himself."

Daniel looks and feels more like himself now. He had his seventh - and hopefully final - surgery last week and is now out of the hospital. His mother has rented an apartment near the hospital where they will stay during rehab.

Daniel says he's ready to face the challenges ahead so he can get back to his life. "I'm going to get back to what I was doing before this, hopefully with a vengeance."